1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to pet domiciles, and more particularly to a domicile for a garage or carport from which the pet can enter from the house.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Many pet owners permit their pet to have the run of the house, but prefer that the pet eat and sleep out of the house to minimize odors and unsanitary conditions. This is especially true of cats since it is common to have a litter box in the house. It is, of course, well known to provide dog houses and the like in the yard; however, this approach poses problems in bad weather and a requirement for fences or leashes to prevent pets from running free. Thus, there is a need for a pet domicile which is outside of the living area of a house, yet which can provide the pet access without leaving the house.
This problem was approached by Calkins in U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,975. This patent discloses a domicile outside of a house and fastened to an exterior wall thereof. A tunnel is provided through the wall having a barrier through which the pet can pass. Although effective for the purpose, the Calkins pet domicile requires relatively expensive construction since it must be weatherproof and also requires an opening to be cut through the wall of a house to which it is attached. Another exterior pet shelter has been disclosed by Cruchelow et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,291,645 who teach a structure exterior to a house having a basement. The structure is attached directly to the house wall over a basement window. The Cruchelow shelter is relatively expensive and is only suitable for houses with basements in which a window opens to the outside. Further, it eliminates light and air to the basement via the window. Ford, in U.S. Pat. No. 1,552,288 teaches a poultry house having an enclosed screen covered run attached thereto with one feature of the house being that it is turntable mounted so it can be oriented with the sun.